Living Rogue
by Hammsters
Summary: She's found her answers, fixed her relationships and moved on from the past. But her past isn't ready to go down without a fight. The grown up Mikkie Goode still has to face tantrums, a random roommate, and the ex-boyfriends of doom! Oh, and not to mention that a little girl with a past no one but Mikkie and Austin remember. 3rd Mikkie story
1. Hair Dryers and Security Scares

I exit the headquarters as casually as possible with the briefcase in hand. It's noon on a Sunday, but while the normal people sit safely at hom, the building behind me is buzzing with activity and I have an assignment. I perr above my heat-seeking sunglasses and spot a silver minican not thirty feet away. Listnening for any signs of a tail, I stand still for just a moment, pretending to check before crossing the road. Finding none, I approach the vehicle and slide into the driver's seat. I set the briefcase down on my lap and ease it open, then extract the weapon. Then, I pull on a hooded sweatshirt, raise the weapon, and smirk as I wait for a target.

It's not long before a black SUV with dark windows pulls up and I adjust my grip on the silver handle of my weapon. I give the car a long hard look, then pull the trigger. _Pheeeeeeeeuuuuuw, _the blow dryer spits heat into the air and I hardly stifle a giggle. Then I hear a repeated banging sound and duck just before the bullets shatter my windows. Once the onslaught of ammunition ends, I peek through the broken glass at the giant bald guy emerging from the car and barrelling towards me.

"Aw shit," I mutter. I raise my head, grin sheepishly, and wave at him. "Hey Rob." He huffs.

"You again Goode?" I nod. He opens the door to my van and tugs me out by the arm.

"Easy man! You'll rip my favorite Marquette sweatshirt!" Rob says nothing. "It was just a hair dryer," I mumble. He just pulls on my sleeve harder.

Guide to life rule nember one: Don't startle of piss off the head of security for the Central Intelligence Agency.

* * *

><p>I walk up to the same mahogony door I've been through a million times and knock, smiling slightly to myself.<p>

"Come in," a fantastically familiar voice says. I do, and the director smiles at the sight of me. "Hey KK," he says, using his nickname for me. Everyone calls me Mikster, my dad calls me Mikkelodeon, and IT called my Mikkie Mouse, so when he wanted his own special nickname for me, he took the neglected -kayla part of my name and got KK.

"Hiya Aussie," I greet him, seating myself on the edge of his desk. Funny how Austin ended up running the place.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" He asks, leaning back in his chair.

"In accordance to the prophecy, I may have caused a slight security scare with my hair dryer," I say, grinning sheepsihly. He smirks.

"The list?" He guesses. I nod solemnly.

"In accordance to the prophecy, the list." You see, as we got older and our lives changed, our friends all matured. A lot. So to keep our former childishness and immaturity alive, Austin and I hunted down every list of funny/ annoying/ crazy/ creepy things to do and put them together. We've been working on it for weeks.

"Are you going to be talking like that all day?" He asks, referring to the beginning of all my sentences.

"In accordance to the prophecy, yes." He rolls his eyes.

"I'll pay you five bucks to stop." He offers.

"In accordance to the prophecy, I'll stop after you give me the money." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a wrinkly five dollar bill, then hands it to me. I grin. "Grazie!"

"Well, good timing with the security scare actually, I've been-" Our of nowhere his computer starts beeping and he's cut off mid-sentence. "Hold on a second. My secretary's coming, you know the drill." I nod, hastily put on some lipstick, hop in his lap, and start making out with him- I'll explain later, at some point. The door to his office swings open and his secretary Carrie List, a recent graduate of the Gallagher Academy, walks in.

"Mr. Woods, there's someone-" She sees me and turns bright red, her important information long forgotten. "Oh, um, sorry. I didn't, uh... I'm just gonna go." With that, she makes a hasty exit and we start cracking up as soon as she's out the door.

"That was great!" Austin laughs.

"You know, in the short time she's been here, we've probably scarred that poor girl for life," I say, pulling out two tissues and handing him one. We both start wiping off my lipstick and I return to my seat on his desk.

"Screw her, we've scarred the whole agency," he says proudly. I laugh.

"So, what were you saying before about my good timing?"

"Oh yea! Can you get DJ? He needs to hear this too." I nod. "Thanks. Hey, are you going out with all of us tonight?" He asks. I shake my head.

"Nah, you know it's Liv's night," I reply.

"Ah, that's right! Hey, do you gusy wanna swing by the apartment later?" He asks hopefully.

"I don't know Austin," I say hesitantly. He mock pouts.

"Please? I promise not to get too drunk!" I sigh.

"I"ll check with my parents. I'm not making any promises though. My dad kind of hates you."

"Why?"

"Livvie," I remind him. He nods.

"I will try though." He grins from ear to ear.

"Sweet!" I laugh and start walking out. "Hey Mikkie!" He calls me back before I can open the door. Austin walks up to me "Don't I get a kiss goodbye honey buns?" He asks teasingly, waggling his eyebrows for good measure. I roll my eyes.

"In your dreams sweet cheeks." He laughs and I open the door and walk out. Seeing people in the hallway, I turn back at the last second and blow him a big obnoxious kiss. "Later babe!" I close the door before he can start laughing. As I strut down the hallways like I own the place, I notice many people averting their eyes, absolutely scandalized by the relationship between the director and the CIA's top agent- well, second to top (why won't Buckingham just kick the bucket already?). I just toss my head back and laugh at our little secret. Man I love my life.

**And that, ladies and gentlemen, was the first of many chapters of Living Rogue. May it live long and prosper! Well, may it prosper anyway. I personally think it'd be better if I finished in a short amount of time so I can move on to "Here's the Thing." Is it weird that I already have a fourth story about these guys in mind? Well, not these guys directly. Two of their children. Yea, that's probably weird. Whatever. Reviews are love, and I know you love these guys! You know the drill!**

**5+ reviews- I'll update in two weeks  
>10+ reviews- I'll update in a week and a half<br>15+ reviews- I'll update in a week  
>20+ reviews- I'll update in a few days<br>25+ reviews- I'll update tomorrow**

**Review people! If not for me, than for the-  
>Austin: UNICORNS!<br>Hammsters: I was going to say children, but unicorns work too.**


	2. My Dear Livvie

**Hey guys! Whazzup? Grazie for all the reviews people, they made my day! Now, I'm going to answer a few things that were asked in the reviews  
>1. Austin is not mature. He pretends to be at work to keep the respect of the people who work for him, but it's pretend<br>2. Michael will be mentioned in passing. As for whether or not he'll be in it, well, it's classified  
>3. In the past eight years, not much important stuff has happened that you won't find out about from flashbacks. But here's the gist of it: Casey and DJ are married, Lexi and Matt are still dating, Marcus and Tara started dating, Michael went missing, Liv was born, Austin and Mikkie live together but they're not dating or married<br>4. Techinically, yes, Liv is their kid  
>5. In my story, Buckingham is CIA. You got a problem with that?<br>6. She's not asking her parents if SHE can go out, she's asking them if Liv can go out (they don't like Austin very much.)  
>Hope that clears things up for you people! Enjoy!<strong>

I walk up to the door of my parents' house and ring the bell. They gave me a key once, hoping I'd move back, but I never use it. My mom opens the door a moment later with a big smile on her face.

"Mikkie!" I step through the door and giver her a big hug. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too Mom." She lets me go. "So where's the shrimp." Mom smiles.

"I'll call her." She starts walking down the hall and stops in front of the door to my old room. "Olivia!" She calls through the door. "There's someone here to see you!" Just like that, the door flies open and an adorable little girl with long black hair and big green eyes comes bounding up to me.

"Mommy!" She squeals, throwing her little arms around my waist. I laugh, kneel down, and give my girl a big hug.

"Hey Liv! How's my pretty girl?" She grins a big toothy grin.

"! That's a fun word. Grandpa taught me it!" She smiles proudly and I fight the urge to laugh.

"Wow Livvie. Have you shown that one off at school yet?" She nods. "That's my girl." Suddenly, she gasps and claps both hands over her mouth. "What is it?"

"I forgot to tell you Mommy! Look!" She opens her mouth and starts wiggling one of her front teeth with her tongue, chanting, "It'th looth! It'th looth!" I laugh this time.

"That's great Livvie." She grins and hugs me again.

"I missed you Mommy."

"I missed you too sweetheart," I say, hugging her and kissing the top of her head.

"Girls, Zach, it's time for dinner!" Mom calls. I pick Liv up and carry her into the kitchen, then set her down in her seat. Then my dad struts in like he's seventeen and king of the world instead of fifty and the resident bofa on the sofa.

"Hey! Mikkelodeon!" He exclaims, grinning.

"'Ey pops!" He opens up his arms.

"Give your old man a hug!'' I do. "Come for a visit or for a stay?" He asks. I roll my eyes.

"I have an apartment Dad," I remind him. He scowls a bit.

"Yea, with Allan," Dad replies, somewhat bitterly.

"_Austin _Daddy, his name is Austin." He waves it off.

"Same difference. You're living with a man you're not married to and I think one surprise grandchild from you is quite enough," he reasons.

"Zach!" My mom scolds him.

"I'm just stating the facts."

"Austin's just a friend Daddy," I tell himm for the thousandth time.

"He was just a friend when you were eighteen, and he still brought us Liv," Dad says, his voice taking on a sharper tone.

"Zach, not now. Not in front of Liv," Mom says. He sighs and sits down, piling pasta onto his plate. Mom and I do the same. "Besides, you know that somebody spiked all those drinks that night. We're lucky it was just Liv and not two surprise grandchildren and the surprise nieces or nephews." She adds.

"I know, I know," Dad sighs. "Mikkie's right, Gallagher Girl's right, Zach is wrong." Now I'm going to say right here and now that Dad's not normally like this. He just gets worried that I'll mess up again, and the fact that I'm living with the "father" of his only grandchild has a lot to do with it. But he's just being his normal protective self like any good dad would be in this scenario. Things are quiet now, the silence only broken by Livvie singing, "Sgabetti, sgabetti, sgabetti!"

"So Mikkie, how was you business trip?" Dad asks eventually, meaning my last mission, which I just returned from. We still haven't told Livvie about the whole spy thing. I then tell them all about it in the business code we made up to use when she's around. Then, while she's in the bathroom, I ask them the question I've wanted to for months.

"Hey Mom, Dad, I've been meaning to ask you guys something," I begin, a little nervously.

"What is it Mikkie?" Mom asks, mid-chew. She really needs to brush up on her C&A, tsk tsk Mother.

"Well, I've got my job and a lot more spare cash than I used to, plus I'm a lot older now."

"I'm not getting any younger Mikkelodeon," Dad says. I roll my eyes.

"I want Livvie to come live with me!" I say quickly. They freeze.

"You what?" Mom says monotonuously.

"Think about it!" I say. "I'm more mature now, our apartment has three rooms, she's up there one weekend a month anyway! Besides, when you guys were my age you had me _and _Matt!"

"Yes, but you were two and he was three. Liv's seven," Mom says. "And there were two of us."

"Austin's there! He's even better with Livvie than all three of us. She adores him! And she needs to spend more time with her mother. I need to be more involved in her life." Mom and Dad look at each other, the kind of look I once dreaded as a scheming thirteen year old.

"Well," Dad starts, "if Liv's there we won't have to worry about more grandchildren," he says jokingly. Mom sighs.

"I guess it's okay." I grin from ear to ear.

"Yes!" I squeal. "Thank you Mommy! I'm going to go tell Livvie!"

* * *

><p>I unlock the door to our apartment and walk in with Livvie. I called Austin to tell him the good news and, after I convinced him he didn't need to childproof his stash of duct tape, bubble wrap, and Care Bears, he was psyched.<p>

"Austin! We're home!" I yell, dragging in her multiple bags. Dad's going to rbing the rest of her stuff over tomorrow. Austin comes running into the room with a toilet plunger sticking out of his forehead.

"Liv-meister!" Hey yells, sweeping her up in a big hug and spinning her around as she giggles. "How's my favorite Goode?"

"Goode," she giggles at the pun.

"What am I, a jar a of colossal pickled mushroom caps?" I ask sarcastically. He pulls out a long strip of paper from his pocket, a name tag that reads, "Hello, my name is Colossal Pickled Mushroom Caps."

"You could be, for the right price." Liv giggles some more. He looks down at her. "I'll ahve you know, little missy, that this is a very serious matter." As she giggles some more and he starts tickling her, I pull the toilet plunger from his head. He looks up sharply. "Hey, what gives?"

"Why are you wearing a toilet plunger on your head?" I ask.

"Don't you know? It's Unicorn Awareness Week," he says like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"_Unicorn Awareness Week?" _I repeat. He nods and places a hand over his heart.

"Every time someone says that there's no such thing, a unicorn throws up pixie dust while his sister starts dancing the perpetual jig and his best friend starts pushing up daisies. We must put an end to their suffering!" I roll my eyes.

"Put an end to my suffering will you? Help me with these bags so I can put Livvie in bed." I say, trying to drag one of her suitcases across the room.

"Awwww, do I haaaaave to go to bed?" Liv whines.

"Yea, does she haaaaave to?" Austin chimes in. I give him a dangerous look.

"Yes. She has school tomorrow." They both sigh. Livvie goes to grab her backpack, the only thing she can carry, and Austin takes the heaviest bag from me.

"Mommy's a buzz kill," Austin whispers, making Livvie giggle some more.

"I heard that," I say, flicking him in the back of his golden-haired head. He just laughs.

Ten minutes later, Liv's asleep and Austin and I are staring blankly at an episode of Scrubs we've already seen a hundred times.

"Hey Austin," I say.

"Yea?" He asks.

"Ten sheets of bubble wrap for the pickled mushroom caps sticker?" I see him smiling out of the corner of my eye.

"It's a deal."

**What do you think? Isn't Liv a cutie? I just love her, and she's got this really cool back story, it's gonna be awesome. You're gonna get to see some of Mikkie's other friends in the next chapter, so I suggest you review if you want to see how their lives have changed. Now, you guys know the drill I'm sure, but I'm putting it anyway.**

**5+ reviews- I'll update in two weeks  
>10+ reviews- I'll update in a week and a half<br>15+ reviews- I'll update in a week  
>20+ reviews- I'll update in a few days<br>25+ reviews- I'll update tomorrow**

**Make me proud people and HAPPY UNICORNS AWARENESS WEEK!**


	3. A Mission and an Announcement

**Hey! Soorry I'm a little late with the update, but I wrote a nice long chapter and I'm going to try to be a little better about updating from now, since I'm considering giving up the computer for Lent so I want to get as many stories as possible done before then. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and enjoy the chapter!**

"Okay Austin, what did you need to talk to us about?" DJ asks when we all meet in Austin's office the next morning. We weren't able to talk yesterday. Turns out, he took a persodal day to go to some doctor's appointment with Casey, his wife for the last six years. I wonder what that was about...

"I've got a mission for you guys." DJ and I both tense up. We literally _just _got back from a mission! Normally we get at least a month at home! This must be pretty serious if they're calling us back into action so early.

"What's the mission?" I ask, trying to hide the rigidness of my voice. He pushes his laptop in front of us and points to the screen. It shows about fifty different obscured photographs of men ranging from eighteen to fifty, some with gray hair, some blonde, some fat, some ugly, some with big noses, etc. The only things I can see that relate all these men are their height and athletic build.

"Who are these people?" DJ asks. Austin smiles mischeviously.

"You mean, who is this person?" He corrects. My eyes widen.

"You mean, these are all pictures of the same man?" Austin nods. "Who is this guy?" Austin snorts and mutters something that sounds like, "wouldn't we all like to know?"

"He is your target," he tells us. We both look at our friend like he's crazy.

"You're kidding right? You're shitting with us?" He shakes his head.

"This man is a rogue operative. No member of the organization has had any contact with him since he first vanished off the grid approximately eight years ago."

"Eight years and nobody's caught this guy?" DJ exclaims.

"That's incredible," I say breathlessly. Austin continues as though we've said nothing.

"He's a genius at deception and disgues, he's extremely fit, and most importanly, he doesn't make mistakes. He'd been top of his class at a spy school which will, for the moment, remain nameless for security purposes. He would've had a very bright future at the agency had he not disappeared before he could graduate." Our eyes widen again.

"You mean that he's _our _age?" I ask. Austin nods.

"Possibly younger. After all, we know next to nothing about this guy."

"How is that possible? I mean, to do all this without completing training? It _shouldn't be _possible."

"It's crazy right?" Austin agrees. "Can you imagine one of us pulling off something like this?" Actually, I can think of one person that might manage it. I shake off the thought. That's all in the past.

"So, what's he been doing all this time? Knitting beards for his disguises?" DJ asks.

"He's been dismantling one of the world's greatest terror organizations," Austin says with a faint smile. "The Circle of Cavan." Once again, we're dumbfounded.

"And he's been doing all of this by himself?" DJ asks.

"As far as we know, yes."

"I'm confused. If he's taking down the Circle, which, last I checked, is a very good thing, then why do you want us to take him down?" I ask.

"I don't want you to take him down. I want you to arrest him. He knows how to destroy these bases, and that's information we need. We're going to help him end the Circle whether he likes it or not," Austin replies.

"Ever heard of a phone call?" DJ asks. "He might take better to that than federal prison." Austin rolls his eyes.

"This guy's a rogue operative, remember? That makes him technically a criminal. So we'll deal with him like one," he tells us simply. "Besides, I'll say please and thank you." Now I roll my eyes.

"When do we start?" I ask.

"I'll give you guys two weeks off, have some time with your families before you're off again, we'll talk more before you leave." DJ and I nod; this seems like a fair enough plan. "Right. That's all I need from you yuckleheads, so begone with you!" And so the bold yet brief attempt at maturity comes to an end. I've got to give him credit though. He does a pretty good job pretending at work, although you can still see through it at times. DJ and I leave his office.

"Well, that was weird," I say. DJ snorts.

"This is Austin we're talking about. When aren't things weird?" I laugh.

"Still, wouldn't you think that we'd have heard about this guy, especially since he's young and probably inexperienced?" I ask. DJ nods.

"Yea. There's definitely something off about this whole thing," he agrees.

"You think Austin's keeping something from us?" I ask. He just shrugs.

"I don't know. It doesn't seem like something he'd do, but you never know in this business. If he is keeping something from us, it's probably just for our own safety, or for the sake of the mission." I nod. He's got a point.

"And another thing, wouldn't we have heard about something like this? Everyone knows a CIA agent can't keep a secret!" I say. He agrees. "So, any ideas about what's going on?" He stares off, wearing his best thinking face.

"Maybe. It's a bit of a long shot, but maybe." With that, he strides off purposefully towards the men's bathroom.

"Well that was doubly weird," I mutter to myself.

* * *

><p>"Mikkie!" My best friend squeals as I walk into our favorite caferestraunt/ thingamijag.

"Lexi!" I squeal in return. We both run at each other, shoving through people and pushing helpless old ladies to the ground, leaving a trail of destruction in our wake as we run to hug each other. "I missed ya Lex."

"Well ain't I a canned yam?" Another voice remarks. I release Lexi and take in the five feet and eight inches of unbelievable gorgeousness that is Tara Slaine, one of my two other best friends.

"Tara! Snotty kiss?" She grins.

"Snotty kiss." We kiss the air next to each other's faces, making the obnoxious 'mwa-mwa' sound and squinching our noses as if we've smelled something terrible. Lexi laughs at us.

"Doofuses." I stick my tongue out at her. Suddenly, a little blonde pixie pushes in between the three of us.

"Nobody puts Casey in a corner!" She says, throwing her arms out in a very dramatic fashion. Then she giggles and throws her scrawny arms around me, hugging me with the strength an eighty poind sprite shouldn't possess. For someone so fond of the laws of physics, she sure does defy them a lot. I laugh.

"Missed ya Case." She grins.

"I know you did." I laugh again. "I missed you too Mikkie." We pull some chairs up to a little two person table by the window and sit down. After a waitress takes out orders- 312 and a bagle for Tara, Miller and a plate of fries for Lexi, mild and a big honkin' slice (my exact words) of triple chocolate pie for me, and sparkling grape juice and party pancakes for Casey- we begin to catch up on everything I missed in the last two months and I tell them all about the un-classified parts of my mission.

"So Casey," Tara says, smiling slyly, "have anything to tell us?" Casey bats her eyes innocently.

"I don't know what you're talking about Tar-bear," she replies nonchalantly, sipping her grape juice.

"Casey, you haven't missed a day of work in eight years, even when you had teh flu and mono at the same time, and now you and DJ both miss the same day? Something's up." Tara and Casey ahve an epic staredown using their best poker faces. This goes on for about a whole minute before Casey gives in.

"Fine! We were both out for this doctors appointment, you know that right?" We all nod. "Well, it wasn't just any appointment." She sprouts a huge grin. "I'm pregnant!" We all stare at her blankly for a moment, then sceam in excitement. Tara, Lexi and I jump out of our seats and trap her in suffocating hugs.

"That's so great Casey!" I say after we've released her and returned to our seats. She hasn't stopped smiling.

"I know, we're so excited! To tell you the truth though, I'm really freaked out," Casey tells us, grinning sheepishly.

"Why?" Lexi asks. "You'll be a great mom!" We all give her similar assurances.

"I don't know anything about raising a kid, and neither does DJ! I mean, I'm an only child and he's the youngest in his family! We have no clue how to do anything!" She insists.

"Case, if Austin and I can figure out how to raise a kid, something I'm pretty sure my left shoe would be more suited for, then I think anyone can," I say, being completely sincere. Tara nods in agreement.

"Yea. If they could produce Live, who I promise you will be outdressing me, outsmarting you, and kicking everyone else's asses inside of a year, then you and DJ will have a Chuck Norris, Jim Gaffigan, Alber Einstein, Tom- Felton- met- Aphrodite super baby!' I give Tara a weird look.

"I don't know whether to be flattered of insulted." Tara smiles.

"A bit of both."

"Thanks guys, but I'm probably still going to be calling Mikkie every five minutes for advice." We laugh. "And there's so much to do! We need to childproof and read baby books and think about names, we have to pick out godparents..." She continues rambling but Tara, Lexi and I have stopped listening. We just look at one another as we come to the same conclusion: the godmother wars have begun.

**Aw, that's cute. I'm happy for Casey. Now, if you guys have any suggestions about baby names, or godmother war stuff, or anything at all, please review and tell me!**


	4. The Curse of the Toilet Paper Mummy

**Hey guys! I know it's been a long time since I updated and I'm really sorry. I ran out of space in my old notebook so I had to go and try to find another one and I couldn't until just recently. Sorry! Well, without further adieu, the chapter!**

I sprint out of the shower in just a towel, chanting _shit shit shit shit shit _under my breath as I slide down the wooded floors of our apartment. I hear laughter behind me.

"Shut it Austin!" I yell. He just laughs more and retreats into his room. Meanwhile, the phone continues to jingle obnoxiously. "I got it, I got it, oh god, will you just shut the fuck up!" I scream at the phone. I pick it up and calm myself. "Hello, Woods residence, Mikkie speaking," I say pleasantly; most people outside the CIA think I'm married to Austin. Another lie fabricated to make me seem less skanky.

"Hello Mrs. Woods, this is Abigail Sykes, your daughter's teacher," a sweet voice says on the line.

"Fuck," I mutter under my breath.

"Excuse me?" She asks, sounding taken aback.

"Pardon?" I reply, regaining my calm demeanor.

"Oh, I just thought I heard you say- never mind. Well anyway, I was calling about your daugher, Livvie." Well, who ever could have seen that coming? It's not as if this is the first time Liv's gotten herself in trouble. There was the time she came to school with my old iPod, blastind DESTROYA as loud as it would play, the time she brout my dad's favorite shotgun to school for show and tell, the time she taught the class Austin's favorite colorful vocabulary word- and that word was not bubble wrap or gummy worm if you catch my drift.

"Oh, she isn't in any trouble again is she?"

"Mrs. Woods, I don't like to conference with parents over the phone. Would you be able to come in and meet with me? Your husband as well." Doesn't she know the rule?

''I would love to Ms. Sykes, but my husband and I have been banned from entering the school building," I say. You see, there was this issue with Austin being the mystery reader for Liv's pre-school class, and me sharing a few choice words with and eighth grader who grabbed my ass. Needless to say, the staff aren't exactly fans of ours, and it certainly doesn't help that we're only 25 and have a seven year old.

"Yes, I've been informed of your situation, but the principal has agreed to make an exception." Oh no. That can't be a good sign.

"She hasn't injured anyone has she?" Ms. Sykes laughs.

"No, no. Nothing like that," she assures me. "So, would you be able to meet with me after school today?" I sigh.

"Yes, we can." I get the feeling she's grinning right now.

"Great! I look forward to meeting the both of you."

"I look forward to meeting you too." We say our goodbyes and hang up. "Austin!" I call, needing to tell my 'husband' why we have to leave work early. I look in his room and see he's not there. "Where the hell..." I head to the bathroom; Austin can wait until I'm showered and clothed.

I scream as I walk in and see someone lying on the bathroom floor. It's Austin, wrapped and tangled up in toilet paper and duct tape. God knows how that happened. The look on his face is absolutely pitiful.

"Austin, what the hell are you doing?" I shriek, still surprised.

"I'm a toilet paper mummy," he says, sounding and look like a little kid with a whipped puppy expression on his face. "It's hard to walk when you're a toilet paper mummy." He nods, then adds, "I fell." I sigh and quickly pull on the emergency sweatshirt I keep in the bathroom in case things like this happen, then crouch down and start untangling him.

"Honestly, I can't leave you alone for five seconds," I mutter. I look up at him once he's de-mummified and see that his lip's bleeding. "I'll get you a tissue for that. I get up and start walking to the closet.

"Hey Mikkie!" Austin yells. I turn back and he points to his bleeding lip. "Kiss it better?" I laugh.

"Yea, sure. Only if you'll kiss this first." I point to my ass. He smiles his deadliest (and by that I mean shmexiest) smile.

"Don't tempt me babe." I laugh and go to get his tissue.

* * *

><p>Austin and I walk into the school building. He scratches his head uncomfortably.<p>

"Did we really have to gel my hair back?" He asks.

"The old crocs here get enough gossip out of us already without you looking gay," I say. He looks insulted.

"I don't look gay!"

"With that hair style you do. Sorry hun, but it's nearly as bad as your Justin Bieber haircut." He smooths his hair back and sticks his tongue out at me. "Kay, we're here." I say as we reach the classroom. I give him a warning look. "Be good."

"Please KK," he says, grinning. "Good is my middle name."

"And my last." With that, I knock at the door. "Hello? Ms. Sykes?"

"Oh, Mrs. Woods, come on in." We walk in and sit down by her desk. Off to the side, Liv is curled up in a bean bag chair reading. A surprisingly young woman sits down behind the desk. When she looks up at us, she seems caught off gaurd. "Oh, um, hello Mr. and Mrs. Woods. I apologize, it's just, I had no idea you're so-"

"Young?" Austin fills in. She nods. Well she's one to talk! She can't be much older than us! "We get that a lot.''

"Liv was a nice surprise," I say.

"Well, thank goodness for that. She's a very sweet little girl," Ms. Sykes says, covering up her blunder nicely. "Anyway, down to business."

"Right. What's she done?" Austin asks.

"Well, she did bite one boy, but she wrote an apology letter and gave him her fruit snacks at lunch, without being asked I might add. But that's not what I called about." She says, smiling sweetly. "I've actually got very good news for you."

"Really?" I ask, trying not to sound surprised.

"As you probably know, each year students take tests that help us judge their learning abilities."

"Like an IQ test?" Austin asks. Ms. Sykes nods.

"Exactly. Well, through these tests and her schoolwork, we've learned that Livvie is much more advanced than her classmates. She has a genius IQ," _Not unlike her parents, "_and she absorbs information much faster than the average seven year old. The reason that I'm telling you this is that I believe it would be in Livvie's best interest if we move her ahead a grade, or even two depending on how she does."

"That'd be incredible!" I exclaim. "Thank you!:

"Don't thank me! You've made this a lot easier. Some parents are reluctant to let their kids move forward because they worry about the change in atmosphere and how they'll manage with making new friends. But at this age, it's usually not a problem," she says. "Well then, that's all we need to discuss at the moment. I'll call you with anything else you might need to know."

"Well, thank you very much Ms. Sykes," Austin says, trying to be mature. "I'll go get the squirt." He runs over to where she's reading and throws Livvie over his shoulder.

"Austin, put me down!" She shrieks.

"Not a chance short stuff!" He runs out with her still over his shoulder. I laugh.

"Well, I'd better go. It was nice meeting you," I say, walking out.

"It was nice meeting you too." As soon as she goes back in the room, I start running after them, laughing.

"Hey guys! Wait up!"

**So what'd you guys think? I know, it's not really all that important to the story, but I'm trying to show that Liv's taking after her parents with her talents. I'm trying to involve her as much as possible to lead up for a potential story. I'm considering writing a story about Liv and the COC. I probably won't, but it's a possibility. Believe it or not, a lot of the unnecessary details in this story and That Was Then are in case I write that story. Do you guys think I should? I know some people think that's taking it a bit too far since these are all original characters. So I have a few requests for your reviews  
>1. ProCon lists would be nice. I need advice on how to improve my writing  
>2. Should I write a story after this about Liv when she's older?<br>3. Who's your favorite character?  
>4. What do you think willshould happen in this story?  
>5. Which character do you want to see more of?<br>6. Michael vs. Austin. Who did you like more in the role of best friend?  
>Okay, and also, as mean as I feel doing it, I'm using the usual system.<br>5+ reviews- I'll update in two weeks  
>10+ reviews- I'll update in a week and a half<br>15+ reviews- I'll update in a week  
>20+ reviews- I'll update in a few days<br>25+ reviews- I'll update tomorrow  
>So review like crazy!<br>~Hammsters~**


	5. The Tyrannostorkous Rex's Gift

**Hey! So I know it's been forevs since I updated, so long that I've resorted to bimboism and just said "forevs," but I'm back now. I've been so caught up with other stories and worrying about whether or not this story is a waste of everyone's time and blah blah blah, but I'm here now and I've written a fairly decent chapter. However, I'm listening to My Chemical Romance and typing out a Bruno Mars song. So...confused...too many genres...the horrors...  
>Mikkie: Oh dear<br>Austin: It's Miami 2010 all over again  
>All characters: *shivers*<br>Mikkie: I just don't think she's mentally capable of finishing this author's note, the poor dear. I'll just have to finish it for her won't I?  
>Michael: (in a sassy voice) Aw hells to the no! I may not be in this story, excluding flashbacks and brief references, but I was created for one purpose and one purpose only: to write her author's notes when she is lazy or incapacitated! You cannot take that away from me!<br>Mikkie: Whatever you say rainbow unicorn  
>Michael: *sniffles* why must you hurt me in this way Mikkie? Ah, I'll get over it. If Hammsters could speak, she'd be saying something along the lines of "Oh Em Gee I'm sooooo like excited for this chapter because yea and um there's a good song, it's like, good, and there's a fluffy little father daughter moment between Livvie and Austin and Oh Em Gee it's soooo cute!"<br>Hammsters: *recovers long enough to say...* I'm not that much of a bimbo. But there is a cute moment between Austin and Liv. Continuing mental breakdown now.  
>Michael: As I was saying, she'd probably rant for a while about how no one can seem to get it in their head that I'm not the only one with black hair. In fact, there's a lot of characters with black hair: Joe, Zach, Matt, Tara, Marcus, MIKKIE. Seriously, if you're gonna reason that she's my kid just cuz of hair color, consider the fact that Mikkie and I have the same exact hair color! Sheesh.<br>Mikkie: I apologize. He's extra douchy from lack of attention.  
>Michael: Hey!<br>Mikkie: I only speak the truth. Okay, so Hammsters doesn't own the Gallagher Girls series or the song "Marry You." Yup. Toodles!  
>Michael: You stole my line. How could you?<br>Mikkie: Get over it**

"Aw, Mommy, do you _have _to go?" Livvie asks, playing with the ends of my long black hair.

"I'm sorry babe," I say.

"Austin!" She calls when he walks into her room. She bounces up into a sitting position in her bed and grabs his hand, doing her best pouty face. "Tell Mommy that you both need to stay home," she pleads.

"Sorry honey bunny," he says, "but Uncle Matt really wants us there. He likes to pretend he has lots of friends." I smack him on the back of the head and he snickers.

"Can you tuck me in then?"

"Of course I can. Stand up buddy." She makes a fist and he holds up two fingers to it. then five, then the miss a high five. "Snail, turkey, psych!" Then they move on to the bumps. "Fist bump, booty bump, chest bump, BOOM!" I laugh at their unusual bedtime ritual. THen he pats the bed. "Hop in there." She lies down and he tucks her in and kisses the top of her head. "Good night buddy." She kisses his cheek.

"I love you Austin." He smiles.

"I love you too Livvie." He stands and looks at me. "I'll wait in the living room."

"Thanks. I'll be right out." He walks out.

"Mommy, can you tell me a story before you leave?" Livvie asks.

"Of course sweetie," I say. "What do want to hear?"

"I wanna hear the you and Daddy story again." I smile.

"Okay. Once upon a time, in a far away kingdom called Blackthorne in the large rolling fields of Maine, there lived a rainbow unicorn."

"Are you the rainbow unicorm?" She asks.

"No honey, Daddy is. I'm a ninja ballerina." She giggles. "In another distant but more incredibly magical kingdom called Milwaukee, there was a ninja ballerina. When she and her fellow friends went on a sight seeing trip and were denied access to the home of the Gallagher clan in the villa of roses, they made their way to Blackthorne for assisstance. There, she met the rainbow unicorn, who thought she was smoking hot." Liv giggles again. "She thought he was a total thumb sucker, but she liked him anyway. So then they fell in like- though not quite love- but an big evil chocolate flavored dust bunny of doom got in the way. He and the rainbow unicorn had a showdown, in which the unicorn kicked his fudgy butt. Then as a reward, the tyrannostorkous rex brought us you. The end." She sits up and claps. "You like that?" She nods. "Good. I have to go now okay? Good night baby cakes," I say kissing her forehead.

"Good night Mommy." I turn out the lights and start to leave. "Hey Mommy?"

"Yea Liv?"

"Is Austin the rainbow unicorn?" She asks. I sigh.

"No sweetie." She sighs and pulls her blankets up more.

"Oh. Okay. Good night Mommy."

"G'night." I leave her room and close the door behind me. Austin is leaning on the wall next to the door.

"Are you ever going to tell her the truth?" He asks.

"Definitely. Right after I tell everybody else the truth," I say.

"So, you're never going to tell her?" He asks.

"Nope." I reach over and grab the keys out of his hand. "I'm driving," I say with a smirk. He smiles and we leave the apartment.

* * *

><p>"I think I'm going to be sick," I say.<p>

"You're telling me," Tara agrees.

"Never had I guessed that karaoke could be used as a form of torture," Marcus says.

"As director, I think it's my duty to call a Convention and make sure this is banned," Austin replies.

"Agreed," I say.

"_I _think it's sweet," Casey says.

"You would," Tara says, shaking her head in mock disgust. Casey sticks her tongue out at her.

"Sorry Case," DJ says. "I'm with them on this one."

"Well, I think she's doing great," Matt says proudly.

"It's not that Lexi's _bad, _per se, but she's not good And," I shudder, "she's singing about you." Lexi is up on stage singing 'Best Friend's Brother.' You'd think we'd be used to it by now- they insist on karaoke bars every time- but it still grosses me out when they use it to flirt. Lexi finishes and hops down to hug Matt.

"That was great honey!" He gives her a big kiss.

"Awwww," is Tara and Casey's response.

"Ewwww," is mind and the boys'.

"You're up Mattikins," Lexi coos. She gets cutesy when she's drunk.

"Wish me luck Lexicon." Matt just gets stupid when he's drunk. He bounds up to the stage. "I'd like to dedicate this song to my girlfriend, Lexi Newman. Pay close attention sweetheart." We all cheer for him and he starts singing. "**It's a beautiful night,  
>we're looking for something dumb to do<br>hey baby  
>I think I wanna marry you<strong>

**"Is it that look in your eyes?  
>Or is it this dancing juice?<br>Who cares baby  
>I think I wanna marry you<strong>

**"Well I know this little chapel  
>On the boulevard we can go<br>No one will know  
>Oh come on girl<strong>

**"Who cares if we're trashed  
>Got a pocket full of cash we can blow<br>Shots of patron  
>And it's on girl" <strong>Matt's like me when he sings: not great, but not bad either. All of us are like that. The only person we ever knew who could sing was Michael. I curse mentally. _Forget that butt monkey. _**"Don't say no no no no no  
>Just say yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah<br>And we'll go go go go go  
>If you're ready, like I'm ready<strong>

**"Cuz it's a beautiful night  
>We're looking for something dumb to do<br>Hey baby  
>I think I wanna marry you<strong>

**"Is it that look in your eyes?  
>Or is it this dancing juice?<br>Who cares baby  
>I think I wanna marry you<strong>

**"I'll go get a ring  
>Let the choir bells sing like<br>Ooh, so what ya wanna do?  
>Let's just run girl." <strong>Matt's going overboard with his performance, making faces, jumping around, things like that. Either he's even drunker than I thought or he's up to something. **"If we wake up and  
>You wanna break up, that's cool<br>No, I won't blame you  
>It was fun girl<strong>

**Don't say no no no no no  
>Just say yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah<br>And we'll go go go go go go  
>If you're ready, like I'm ready<strong>

**"Cuz it's a beautiful night  
>We're looking for something dumb to do<br>Hey baby  
>I think I wanna marry you<strong>

**"Is it that look in your eye?  
>Or is it this dancing juice?<br>Who cares baby,  
>I think I wanna marry you." <strong>He jumps off the stage, still singing, and leaps from table to table all around the bar, occasionally stopping at the stage again. **"Just say I do  
>Tell me right now baby<br>Tell me right now baby baby**

**"Just say I do  
>Tell me right now baby<br>Tell me right now baby oh**

**"It's a beautiful night  
>We're looking for something dumb to do<br>Hey baby  
>I think I wanna marry you<strong>

**"Is it that look in your eye?  
>Or is it this dancing juice?<br>Who cares baby  
>I think I wanna marry you." <strong>When he finishes, he's standing on the bar right in front of Lexi. Then he gets down on one knee, and reaches into his pocket.

"No fucking way," I say in disbelief to Tara and Casey.

"Alexis Elizabeth Newman," he begins.

"Yes fucking way," Tara says.

"Will you do me the great honor of marrying me?" Lexi looks absolutely giddy.

"Fuck yea!" She throws her arms around him and kisses him intensely. Everyone in the bar cheers, but no one cheers louder than us. Once things calm down, I hug my brother and soon to be sister.

"Congratulations guys!" I squeal.

"Thanks sis," Matt says, pulling away.

"Mikkie, we're gonna be sisters!" Lexi exclaims.

"I know, isn't it great?" She nods enthusiastically.

"So great! You'll be my maid of honor won't you?" She asks.

"And DJ, you're up for being best man right?" Matt asks.

"I don't think I can promise anything right now Lex," I say unsurely.

"I mean, we're leaving for that mission romorrow," DJ continues.

"Don't talk like that!" Casey cries.

"Yea! I did the math based on my own guesses about who the agent is, you have at least a 50/50 chance of coming back," Austin says. Tara smacks him on the arm. "Kidding! Come on, think about your circumstances! I wouldn't send you two if I thought it was too risky."

"Okay, so until we're proven otherwise, we're going to assume that you're coming back and that you're the best man and you're the maid of honor," Matt says.

"Okay, I surrender!" I laugh.

"Mikkie, we better get going," Austin says.

"Aw, do you have to go now?" Tara asks with a pout.

"Yea, I've got an early morning and we don't like leaving Liv for too long," I reply.

"Oh, okay, go be responsible parents," Lexi sighs.

"We should probably head home too," Casey says.

"Bye guys!" Tara says. Everyone else choruses in goodbyes.

"Good luck tomorrow!" Matt calls.

"Bye!" I yell back.

"Congrats guys!" Austin calls. With that, the four of us leave the bar.

**Wow. It feels like just yesterday I was writing Matt into the story. Could it really have been 12 years since he was that hot fourteen year old that all Mikkie's friends had a crush on but only showed up in one chapter? Well, actually it hasn't even been one, but sticking to the story it's 12. I feel so OLD! *sniffles* My little boy's all grown up. Haha. Sorry for the freakishly long author's note at the beginning, but I haven't done one of those character beginnings in a while, and I actually sort of kind of just a wee a tad a smidge a bit miss writing about Michael. Oh well, I'll have to live with the decisions I've made. Please review! I won't set up the amount thingamajigger this time since it's been a while, but ten or more reviews would be very nice. Make me happy people!**


	6. Regrets

_"I'm afraid to look," I said, embarrassed, handing the test to her._

_"Well, so am I," Lexi said, forcing it back in my hands._

_"I can't look at it, I just can't!" I insisted._

_"Please Mikkie, I know it's a lot to ask, but I just can't look okay?" I sighed._

_"Fine. I'll read it." She smiled gratefully and I shut my eyes, breathing deeply to calm myself. Everything's going to be okay, I thought to myself, everything's going to stay exactly the same. I opened my eyes, looked at the test, and my heart dropped into my stomach. "Positive."_

_"This is bad Mikkie, this is really bad," Lexi said, pacing back in forth in our dorm room. She was twirling her hair between her fingers like she normally does when she's nervous and my best friend, the one girl I've always counted on to be calm and put together, was an absolute wreck. And really, who could blame her? She kept glancing at the little stick lying on the floor that was going to end up ruining my life."I don't know how it is with you, but my parents said if this ever happened they'd throw me out! What are we going to do?" It was then that she broke down and cried. I rushed to her side and hugged her tightly._

_"It's all going to be okay Lex, I promise."_

_"How?" She said, looking up. Her big brown eyes were brimming with the tears she was barely holding back and she was looking at me hopefully, praying that I'd have another scheme that would make everything better just like I always did._

_"I promise, we'll figure something out. You just clean yourself up, I"ll go steal us some stuff from the cafeteria. How's that sound?" She smiled weakly._

_"I'm kind of being a pain, sorry. I shouldn't be leaving it to you to do all the thinking. Thanks Mik." I smiled. _

_"Anytime." As soon as she was in the bathroom washing the smeared make up from her face, I ran out the door to go get us some food. As I went I kept trying to think of plans, just like I'd been doing since what happened first became a possibility. I'd been holding it together for Lexi, but man was I stressed. I was trying to put as little pressure on her as possible, not allowing her to do anything, but it was really starting to take it's toll on me. I'd been snapping at people all week, even Matt, who had been more helpful than anyone in this. On the way, I ran into Michael, who was beaming excitedly. His excitement and carefreeness pissed me off._

_"Mikkie! Just the girl I was looking for! I've got great news." He ran up and tried to give me a hug, but I ducked out of his arms._

_"Not now Mike, I've got something important to deal with." I started walking away._

_"What's wrong?" He asked in confusion._

_"Nothing! Everything's just dandy!" I said in a huff.. He grabbed my shoulders and made me face him._

_"Did I do something wrong?" He asked worriedly. I sighed._

_"No Michael, you're great. I'm just not in a good mood right now." Luckily, he knew better than to aks why._

_"I've got something that'll make you feel better. I got a lead!" He said excitedly. His face drooped when he saw I wasn't nearly as thrilled as he was._

_"So?"_

_"So? We've been looking for leads for ages and now I've finally got one!"_

_"No Michael, you've been looking for leads, I've been trying to move on." I could see from the look in his eyes that I said the wrong thing, but right then, the stress had me too easily annoyed to care._

_"What're you saying?"_

_"I'm saying I could care less about your lead. Now if you'll excuse me, I have something important to do." Then I walked away, leaving him dumbfounded and hurt in the middle of the hallway. I began to feel bad as I walked, but I ignored it. It was stupid. The leads didn't matter. He needed to give up on it and just let me move on already. As I walked back from the cafeteria, inspiration struck and I ran back to our room and flung open the door._

_"Mikkie?" Lexi said, confused by my excitement._

_"I've got a plan." She grinned from ear to ear._

_"Really?" I nodded._

_"Go get Matt, he needs to hear this." _

I sit straight up in bed, shaking my head to try to get rid of the memory. I can't let myself remember what I'd done to Michael. I try to convince myself that it's not completely my fault, that it was his decision to leave before graduation, that if he'd stuck around I could have come back and explained myself to him. But then again, I could've told him what was going on as soon as I had the idea. I could've given him a say in all that was going on behind his back. But I didn't. Now none of us have seen or heard from him since he packed up and left in the middle of the school year.

I do regret it, hurting him all the ways I did those last few weeks, but sometimes I also wonder if it's better that I did. Austin stepped up to help me right away. He took full responsibility for something he had no part in. He took my family's fury without a complaint, he kept my secret all these years, he helped me raised Liv all just to keep me from looking like a stupid slut. How many friends do that? And there's no one, me included, that Liv loves more than Austin. Maybe this was the best thing for her.

Sure, there are some other regrets I have. Skipping town comes to mind. I mean, I let my family worry about me, I let Matt miss months of work, even though I know if me and Lexi left without him he would've hunted us down anyway. I still should've tried to make him stay. I could've left a note explaining why we left, we could've made contact with them somehow to tell them we were okay. What did we do instead? We switched plates with a car similar to Matt's, a car that got into a fatal accident five miles down the highway and fell into the river, never to be recovered. We let them think we were dead. Of course, we didn't _know _about the accident, but we still should've called.

So yea, the day that I dreamed about, the day I dream about nearly every night, it sparked a lot of bad decisions. But there's one bad decision that I constantly worry about, despite having made it seven years ago. Is it really fair for me to keep Liv's secret a secret?

**Hey, so Doc Manager isn't letting me have bold at the top, so this is the intro and the conclusion to this chapter. Did ya like it? Diiiiiiiid ya? You know, this was a really easy chapter to write. Part of it I had typed out in That Was Then, and the rest was mysteriously summing up what I already know about what happened while she was pregnant with Liv. I kind of cheated on this one though. You know how I said I'd update the next day if I got fifteen reviews? Well, I couldn't wait, so right after I updated I typed this up and I've just been waiting until I was allowed to submit it. Heheh. Now, I have a few little notes to answer questions in the reviews that have been asked or I think might be asked.  
>1. If you couldn't figure it out, Michael bailed before Liv was born.<br>2. Yes, yes, I know you're all excited about that paragraph about Austin covering for her and pretending to be Liv's dad. But don't assume you know who the father is. The circumstances of Liv's birth are a mystery to everyone but Austin and Mikkie.  
>Okay, that's all I gots to say, so please review! If I get 15+ I'll update tomorrow!<strong>


	7. Never Trust a Man Who Eats at Quiznos

**Hey guys! I'm sorry it took so long to update, this chapter just gave me trouble. On the brightside though, I squished together the important events from three different chapters and put them all together in this one, and I'm positive you'll all like it. For one reason, and one reason only. And that reason is-  
>Michael: I'm booooored<br>Hammsters: Well, that's too bad.  
>Michael: But it's your job to entertain me<br>Hammsters: Ha! In your dreams  
>*Five minutes later, when Michael is tied up, duct taped, and shoved in a closet*<br>Hmm. You know, when I first invented his character, I hated him. You guys were meant to hate him too. You were supposed to be conflicted by his horrible character and his hotness. But, instead, you guys thought he was adorable. THen in TWT, I gave in and realized he was awesome too. Now that he's returned to his original purpose as disclaimer guy, I'm beginning to hate him again. Damn. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

I wake up to an alarm a few hours later and groan at the need to wake up. A glance at my clock and I groan louder. "_Fuck my life," _I moan. Reluctantly, I drag myself out of bed and change into a dry fit t-shirt and yoga pants. Then I lace up my sneakers and walk out of my room. As usual, Austin's seated on the living room floor watching Saturday morning cartoons, this time Clifford the Big Red Dog. "Morning Austin." He mumbles a 'good morning' but is too absorbed in the program to do anything else. "What happened to Dora?" I ask, talking about his old favorite.

"She's short too many brain cells for my taste," he replies. "Honestly, bilingual at age four, and she can't find a bright fucking orange tree! Liv could speak three languages when she was four and she'd see that damn tree from a mile away. Clifford's much better for a mature man like me." I laugh.

"Well, not every pre-schooler's like Liv," I remind him. He shrugs.

"Are you leaving?" He asks. I nod. "I can drvie you to the airport."

"Thanks Austin," I say.

"No problem. You get ready and say bye to Liv, I'm ready to leave when you are." I drag my bag out into the living room and then walk quietly into Liv's room. I sit down on the edge of her bed, brush her hair out of her face, and kiss her forehead. She stirs.

"Mommy?"

"Go back to sleep baby, I just came to say goodbye." She reaches up and hugs me.

"Have a good trip Mommy," she whispers. I smile.

"Thank you sweetie. Now go back to sleep okay?" She nods and nestles back into her blankets. I close the door slowly behind me to keep it quiet and then join Austin outside.

Austin and I don't talk much on the drive to the airport. Despite the fact that we're well trained and it's part of our lifestyle, no one likes to leave for missions, even minor ones like this, because there's always the possibility that we won't come back. Austin and I know by now that it's better just to enjoy each other's company while we can. I sigh as we pull up to the airport.

"Thanks for driving me Austin." I start unbuckling my seatbelt.

"Here, I'll help you carry in your bags," he offers.

"You don't need to do that," I say. He waves it off.

"I want to. It's what best friends do." I smile.

"Thanks." We grab my suitcases out of the trunk and head into the airport to meet DJ. It doesn't take long to find him sleeping like the dead in an uncomfortable looking chair. "DJ, wake up." I say softly, shaking his shoulder. He wakes up with a jolt.

"Oh, hey guys!" He stands up. "Hey Austin, you gonna wait with us?"

"No, I can't. Liv's home alone. I just came to make sure Mikkie got here okay," Austin replies. "I'd better get going. Good luck DJ." They shake hands and Austin turns to me. "You take care of yourself KK. I wouldn't want to be left a bachelor," he says with a wink. A few years ago, Austin and I made a deal that if we were both still single at 35, we'd just marry each other. After all, we're best friends, and we already have a kid together. Why the hell not? I laugh.

"That's right, the deal. Got it. Bye Austin!" He hugs me and then says his goodbye, then leaving DJ and me to wait on our own.

* * *

><p>Three hours later, DJ and I are sitting in a hotel room in Banghor, Maine, where the rogue operative was last reported to be seen. DJ is sitting at the end of a couch with a laptop in his laugh, rapidly typing in codes Casey taught him, and I'm curled up next to him watching over his shoulder. As he types, jumbles of letters and numbers scroll over the screen too fast to be read. Then suddenly, the codes are replaced with image over image and DJ lets out a triumphant yell.<p>

"Got it!" He cries. "Now the computer will scroll through the security cameras all over Banghor for anyone who matches the height and build of our guy. In a few minutes we'll have the results, but we'll have to watch the footage and find him ourselves." I smile.

"Oooh, I'll get the popcorn." He laughs as I skip over and pop a bag of popcorn I bought into the microwave. At the same time the last kernel pops, his computer pings.

"It's ready!" He calls.

"Be there in a second!" I quickly put the popcorn in a bowl and go back to the couch. DJ clicks on two videos and they start playing. It's on fast forward, but I can already tell from the number of video windows behind it that this might take a while. I sigh and rest my head in my hand.

An hour later, neither of us has moved and inch and we've made almost no progress. Images flash across the screen, but none of the matches are doing anything out of the ordinary. I'm beginning to wonder if this lead is even worth following when suddenly, something catches my eye.

"DJ, go back." He begins rewinding. "Play now, put it in slow motion." He does so. "There, watch their hands," I say, pointing to the screen. Right as I do, there's a split second where we can see a flash of white between the two men's hands- the covert passing of a note. DJ pauses the video.

"Which one's our guy?" He asks.

"That one, the man in the black jacket with his back to us," I reply. DJ curses.

"Is there a way to identify him?" I shake my head.

"Nah, this video's about ten minutes long and his back is to the camera the whole time," I say.

"What about other cameras in the vicinity?" He asks. I shake my head again.

"I was watching him in those too. He made sure that there was never a clear shot of his face," I say. "But maybe we can identify his pal." DJ zooms in on the other man's face and runs the image through census records. It quickly comes up with a match after a few seconds.

"Walter Meyers, 34 years old. He works for the CIA, but took time off to visit his parents. He's staying in room 234 at a local Holiday Inn," DJ says, reading off his records.

"Houston, we've got a destination," I say absentmindedly. I scribble the address in my notepad and rip out the sheet. "Let's go."

* * *

><p>DJ and I spend the next few days stalking our good buddy Mr. Meyers and find that Walter, like his name, is exceedingly boring. He eats at Quiznos, jogs in the park, is pwered by Starbucks, visits Mommy and Daddy every afternoon. If I didn't know better, I'd think he's Joe Civilian.<p>

Of course, that was before he had us at gunpoint.

"Shit," DJ mutters when Walter appears in the backseat of our car and holds a gun to the back of each of our heads.

"Who the hell are you and why have you been following me?" He asks in a harsh whisper.

"Look, we're all adults here, why don't we just-" He cuts DJ off.

"Who are you and why have you been following me?" Walter repeats.

"My name is Daniel Aldrick, this is my partner Mikayla, we work with you at Langley," DJ says calmly. Walter chuckles.

"I recognize you little girl! You're the director's whore aren't you?" He says to me.

"Hey!" DJ snaps. "That is no way to-" Walter thumps him on the back of the head with the handle of his gun."

"I suggest you don't fight the man with the gun Aldrick," he says warningly. "Now what are you two doing here?"

"We're chasing a rogue member of a terrorist organization that got taken down a few years ago. He's been killing off our agents and we have reason to believe you're his next target," I lie.

"Uh-huh, right," he says. "I was in the business long before you brats even started training. Believe it or not, I was second in command before your buddy Austin took over and demoted me. I know all about this kind of thing. If what you told me was true, I would've been warned before you two came." I curse under my breath. Why is it that protocol always slips my mind? "Back seat Chuckles." DJ sighs and switches seats with him. Then Walter takes out two blindfolds and puts them on us.

"Is this really necessary?" I ask.

"You betcha bitch," he replies, starting the car.

As he drives, I try to follow all the turns, but he's too smart to underestimate us like that. He takes dozens of extra turns, makes u-turns, drives in circles, goes through parking lots and drive-thrus. I can't make sense of where we're going. My best hope is that DJ can. After a few minutes the car comes to a stop and we get out. Walter grabs us both by the shoulders and starts leading us forward. I hear a card sliding through a slot, a buzz, and then a door opening. Once we go through the door and it slams shut behind us, Walter slaps some handcuffs on us and takes off our blindfolds.

"Keep moving you two, we haven't got all day." We keep moviung forward, with him telling us where to go and eventually, when to stop. He opens a door, shoves us in the room, then makes us sit down and ties us to the chairs. "Know where we are Mikayla?" I nod slowly. I recognize the layout, the key card buzz in, the numbering on the doors, and the way we took to get to this very room.

"The basic interrogation room in the Banghor base of the Circle of Cavan," I say softly. He smiles.

"I thought you looked familiar," he says. He walks over to the wall, where a pad is hung from a pin. He pulls it off and looks through the pages. "Here you are." He rips out a few pages, then hands them to me. On top is a page with two pictures of me, one from a missing persons poster that used to hang on every newsstand in the country, one that was taken the day Dustin kidnapped me when I was seventeen. I start looking through the other pages: Matt, Lexi, Casey, Tara, Austin, DJ, Marcus, and last of all, Michael. They've got everyone's information updated until their senior year but him. All they've got on Mike is a bunch of dead end information and a picture from when he was in sixth grade. It doesn't even look like him.

"Michael giving you a tough time Walter?" I ask. He smiles humorlessly.

"It's hard to dig up dirt on someone whose files have been burned." Somehow, this doesn't surprise me. Michael's always kept his past under lock and key, so of course he would get rid of whatever he could. "But, an old friend of yours did find something that'll come in handy soon enough." I try not to tense up. "But let's get back on track shall we? What are you two _really _doing here?" I take a deep breath.

"We came looking for a rogue operative. Security cameras caught the two of you doing a quick pass. We couldn't ID him, but you were easy, so we came to see if we could get anything out of you," I say. He laughs.

"Who, Clements? That guy skipped town a few days ago, he should be long gone by now." I curse. "Looks like you just got kidnapped for no reason." I roll my head back, pretending to be frustrated, but really, I'm reaching up to take a bobby pin out of my hair. Once it's out, I raise my head and carefully unlock my handcuffs, coughing to cover up the click. Walter isn't watching us anymore; he's reviewing our files instead. I quietly set the cuffs down and hand the pin to DJ. While he's working on his restraints, I work on untying myself, trying not to make an noticeable movements. Finally, I'm loose, and I launch myself at Walter. In seconds, I have him pinned to the ground. He looks lost. "How did you-"

"I didn't become the best in the business by batting my eyelashes," I say. "That was only part of it." He chuckles.

"Not bad, little girl."

"Mikkie, he's probably got the other members coming, seeing as he recognized us. We've got to get out of here," DJ says.

"You go, I'll catch up," I say.

"What, no! I'm not leaving you here alone!" He exclaims. I whip my head back to look at him.

"Yes, you are. DJ, Casey is pregnant and you need to be there when she gives birth," I say. "I swear to God, if you're still here when they come and we both die, I will fucking haunt your ass in the afterlife." He doesn't move. "Please," I plead. He sighs.

"You better meet up with me," he says.

"I will." He nods, then pulls up a chair and uses it to climb into the vent and out of sight. I turn back to Walter. "Now for you. What'd you say, the guy's name was?"

"Why would I tell you?" He asks. I reach down, pull the gun out of his pocket, and hold a gun to his head.

"Don't fight the woman with a gun held to your head," I say warningly.

"All right, all right! Clements. His name is Samuel Clements," he says. I roll my eyes.

"That's Mark Twain's real name, you idiot! Your friend gave you a fake name!" I sigh. "Is there anything else youc an tell me?"

"He was a young guy, around your name. Tall, blonde hair, blue eyes, German maybe. He said he was a member and that he worked at the Milwaukee base." I get off him and pull him up by the shoulder. "You're going to let me go now aren't you?" I snort.

"Yea right." I attach one cuff to his wrist and the other to a pipe in the corner.

"You'll never find your way out without me!" He yells as I reach the door. I turn to look at him.

"I guess we'll see, won't we?" With that, I slip out the door and take off down the hall.

As I make my way toward the exit, I notice it's like a ghost town in here. At the base in Virginia, the place was always crawling with people. While I'm running, I pass a security office and look through the window at the screens. Other than me and Walter, there's only two people in the building. Unfortunately, one of them is behind me. The guy, a tall burly bald man, grabs me by the shoulder.

"What do you think you're doing?" He tries to drag me towards the cells, but I punch him in the face as hard as I can. He stumbles back and growls. "Oh, you're gonna get it now." He charges at me and I barely have time to step out of the way. He comes back and grabs me roughly by the arm. I struggle and punch and kick, but he just laughs. I'm good, but I'm not sure it's a great idea to fight a guy this size. "You shouldn't have done that. Now you have to pay for it." He begins advancing toward me, backing me against the wall. I gulp and prepare for whatever he's going to do, when I hear a gunshot and a cry of pain and the man's forehead gushes blood. I push him aside just in time to see the shooter- a tall man with blonde hair- disappear around the corner.

"It's him," I murmur. With that, I take off after him. Everywhere I go, I see him in flashes when he turns. After a while, we're out of the building and I'm chasing him through the forest. He dropped his wig at the exit and without the bright color, it's a lot harder to see him. I do though, and luckily, he's a klutz. I hear a loud, 'oof!' as he trips on a root. I jump at him and pin him to the ground.

"Hey, cut it out, cut it out!" He exclaims. "Release the hair will ya?" I let go of his hair but sit on his stomach. He wipes his hair out of his eyes. I look down at the mess of black hair and five o'clock shadow below me and gasp as he smiles up at me. "Hey Princess, did you miss me?"

***gasp!* Any guesses who it is?  
>Austin: OOH, I KNOW! I KNOW!<br>Hammsters: Look Austin, a unicorn!  
>Austin: PRETTY!<br>Hammsters: Well, he should be occupied for the time being. Anyway, please review and tell me your thoughts. I won't give you the requirement thingy, but if I could get ten reviews, that'd be really nice :D If you know who the guy is, I'm sure you'll all be more than happy to review ;)**


	8. Douches Need to Piss Too

**I'm back bitches! yea, I bet you thought you were rid of me, but too bad fuckers, I gotta finish this off, or else you will always wonder. Wonder what? I don't fucking know, but someone's always wondering something. SO, to recap, Mikkie does, in fact, have black hair, and Austin can be professional every now and then. You up to date? Good.**

_"Hey Princess, did you miss me?"_

I lean back, rest my head in my hands, and groan, "You've got to be fucking kidding me." He smirks.

"I'll take that as a yes." I glare and thump him upside the head.

"This isn't funny Michael Roberts! We're not seventeen anymore, I am top agent for the CIA, and _you _are in serious trouble," I say through clenched teeth. He just smirks more.

"Ooh, are you gonna spank me?" Michael asks, waggling his eyebrows. I roll my eyes.

"Please tell me you're not Samuel Clements and that I won't get in trouble for tearing your head off," I plead.

"Ease off Princess!" he exclaims. "Of course I'm not Samuel Clemnts, that's Mark Twain. Good thing my buddy Walter didn't know that," he says with a snicker. I groan.

"Good God Michael, what am I gonna do with you?" He smirks again.

"Would you like the PG-13 version?" I slap him, then pull him to his feet. "I suppose I deserved that." I start pushing him forward in the general direction of our rental car. "Where are we going?"

"Michael Roberts, you are under arrest for crimes committed against your country and the Central Intelligence Agency. You have the right to remain silent, you have the right to a speedy trial, you have to right to an attorney. Anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law," I recite tiredly as we walk. He seems completely unfazed by this.

"You gonna cuff me officer?" he asks suggestively.

"Have you always been this disgusting?" I ask.

"Yup, you just never noticed because you were too distracted by all this," he says, gesturing to his admittedly sexy body. I hate to say it, but boy, the years continue to be kind to him. "Plus, I toned it down because you're hot." I roll my eyes.

"Don't get cocky Roberts, the only distracting thing about you is how desperately you need a shave." I sniff the air and add, "And a shower."

"Hey, it's not my fault no one ever showed me how to shave without cutting myself," he says defensively. I get a sudden image in my head from when he began shaving in eighth grade. He'd showed up at the door to my room with a razor in one hand, a handful of blood tissues in the other, and about twenty cuts on his face. I'd had to call Matt over to show him how to shave the right way. He never nicked himself again after that.

"Mike, you've been shaving just fine since we were fourteen," I say uneasily. He furrows his eyebrows, then looks slightly put out.

"Oh," he says simply. "You wouldn't happen to know where I picked that up would you?"

"Matt taught you, don't you remember?" He ignores my question.

"Thanks Princess."

"Would you stop calling me that?!" I snap. "You haven't called me Princess since we were thirteen." He nods slowly.

"Right, and that was how long ago?" I stop dead in my tracks.

"Twelve years." Suddenly, a horrible realization hits me. "Michael, please tell me you haven't lost your memory."

"Okay, I haven't lost my memory," he says.

"Now say it like you mean it," I say.

"I can't," he replies.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm lying." I groan and run a hand through my long black hair.

"God damn it! DJ and Austin are going to be so pissed!" I grumble. "What are we gonna do?"

"DJ and Austin? My roommates DJ and Austin?" he asks, perking up.

"They haven't been your roommates in more than seven years. They are now Agent Aldrick, husband to Casey and father to be, and Agent Woods, director of the CIA and single man-child," I reply matter-of-factly. Michael starts laughing.

"Austin's the director? Sheesh, things have really gone downhill over there!" I glare. Nobody makes fun of MY man-child but me and my friends. Michael lost that privilege when he skipped out. I advance toward him threateningly, fists clenched.

"Don't you say a damn word against Austin. He is _fantastic _at what he does, and much more mature than you'll ever be," I nearly growl at him. He raises his hands in surrender.

"All right, all right, easy! Is it me, or do you have a thing for him?" he jokes.

"Well, now that you mention it, that would explain why I've been screwing him for the last six years," I say thoughtfully. Michael stops dead and his eyes widen.

"_What?_" he exclaims. I smirk and roll my eyes.

"Grow up Michael, we're 26," I say. He looks down and is quiet. "It was a joke Roberts, heard of it?" He reddens and we continue walking.

"So, your parents let you be a spy then?" He asks.

"Don't talk," I say boredly. He listens and shuts up. Soon, we reach the car, where DJ is waiting with his back to us. "DJ!" I call. He turns and grins.

"Thank God, I was worried you-" he takes one look at Michael and stops talking. "Oh shit." Michael waves.

"Hello!"

"Shut up," I hiss.

"Please tell me that's not-" DJ begins.

"It is," I say. He folds his hands on top of his head.

"Oh _shit!" _he repeats. I laugh humorlessly.

"Oh, it gets better," I say. DJ shuts his eyes.

"Oh no," he groans.

"Oh yes," I reply. "He has memory loss, he can't remember anything that's happened since we were thirteen."

"Oh shit _fuck!" _DJ curses.

"My thoughts exactly," I agree.

"How do you guys do that?" Michael asks suddenly. We stare blankly at him. "You're practically finishing each other's sentences." DJ rolls his eyes.

"Shut up," he says. Michael throws his hands up.

"Why does everyone keep saying that to me?!" he exclaims in exhasperation.

"Because you need to," I reply.

"What a whole lot of thanks to the guy who saved your life," he says, trying to cross his arms before remembering that he's cuffed.

"Fine," I say. "Thank you very much."

"What, that's all I get?" he whines. "I can get that from my great aunt Lucinda! How about some lip action?" I roll my eyes.

"Lips," I say. I kiss my hand and slap him with it. "And action! How's that for you?" He grins.

"S&M. I could get into that," he says. This time DJ and I both roll our eyes.

"Let's just go," DJ says.

"Shot gun!" Michael yells.

"Just get in the car," DJ says, pushing him into the back seat.

* * *

><p>To avoid unwanted attention, we take a back way into the hotel and brave the six flights of stairs to our floor. Then, when we get to our hotel room, DJ and I just stare at each other blankly as Michael begins wandering like a little kid in a museum.<p>

"What do we do with him?" I ask, glancing over at Michael who's tugging unfruitfully at his handcuffs. DJ shrugs.

"We could cuff him to the couch and bring him in tomorrow morning," DJ suggests. Since it's the best- and only- idea we have, we do so.

"If you try to break out," I say threateningly, "you have the five best agents in the CIA to answer to. Got it?" I click his cuffs into the locked position and he nods solemnly.

"Wait, but what if I have to pee?" Michael asks. DJ goes into the bathroom, grabs a roll of Charmin, and then throws it at Michael.

"Go nuts. Just try not to stain the carpet, we want to keep the place clean." With that, DJ and I make our exits, leaving Michael on his own until morning.

* * *

><p>The next moring, I roll out of bed, still exhausted after a restless, fitful night of sleep. My head is pounding, and even though I know it won't help, I grab the box of Advil off my bedside table and dry-swallow a pill. Then I shuffle into the main room of the hotel room to get some breakfast.<p>

The first thing I notice is that the bathroom light is on.

The second is that the couch has relocated to the bathroom door.

Confused, I approach the spectacle, and it's when I'm about five feet away that I make my third observation: Michael is lying passed out on the bathrrom floor with his pants around his ankles. Huh. Well that's familiar. All the same, my eyes widen and I look away sharply.

"DJ!" I yell. My partner comes running in.

"What is it? What's the-" he catches sight of Michael and groans. "What the hell?!" He steps over the couch and nudges Michael awake with his foot. Michael looks up groggily.

"What's going on?" he yawns. He sits, looking around for a bit, then his eyes widen. "Oh _shit!" _He sits up completely and tries to cover himself. DJ rolls his eyes.

"Just pull your pants up dumbass," he says. Michael does so and then sits down on the couch, a bit uncomfortably due to the cuffs attaching his wrist to the leg of it.

"Would you like to explain?" I ask. He shrugs.

"I had to piss." I roll my eyes and DJ facepalms.

I can already tell that this reunion isn't going to be fun.

**I must admit, I missed that kid. And I kinda like the Finding Answers version better. I mean, he'd be a pain to put up with, but he's fun to write. So, if you appreciate his reappearance, review. If you don't, review anyway. You know why? Because I want eleven reviews. Not ten. No, I need eleven so it adds up to a nice round number. That little, what is it now, 79? next to this story on my story stats page was bothering me. SO I need eleven so it is nice and even. No loose ends. So yes. Review please? First reviewer gets a day with all our dear Blackthorne buddies (Austin, Matt, Michael, DJ, Marcus, and yes, even Zach) and the rest of you get bubble wrap. C'mon. You know you wanna**


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